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No. 528,406. Patented Oct. 30 1894.

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SPAGING NAIL.

No. 528,406. Patented Oct. 30-, 1894.

Y oRms PETERS cu, wofo-umu, wnsumm'o D c UNITED STATES.

f P TENT @PEIEE.

JOSEPH J. WHITE, OF NEW LISBON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THEPENNSYLVANIA MAoHINE COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA.

SPACINYG-NAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 528,406, dated October1894 Application filed April 12, 1894. Serial No. 507,226. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at'New Lisbon, in the county of Burlington and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSpacing-Nails; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention is an improvement in spacing nails and consists in thenovel features hereinafter pointed out, reference being had toaccompanying drawings which illustrate several forms in which I havecontemplated embodying my invention, and said invention is fullydisclosed in the following description and claims.

Referring to the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation ofportions of a vertical post and two stringers showing the position of myimproved spacing nail. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 isa vertical section on line w-ac of Fig. 2. Fig.

4 is a perspective View of my improved spacing nail. Fig. 5 is a similarView showing the nail provided with a different form of point at itscentral portion. Fig. 6 is a top view of a modified form of spacing nailconstructed according to my invention. Fig. 7 is a side View of the sameindicating by dotted lines positions into which it may be bent. Fig. 8illustrates another way of using my improved spacing nail." Fig. 9represents another modified form of myim proved spacing nail, and Fig.10, shows a spacing nail similar to those shown in Figs. 4 and 5 butprovided with three angular points.

In joining pieces of lumber intended to be exposed to the weather, suchas in fences, bridges and like structures, it has been found thatoverlapping portions of such timbers hold moisture much longer thanportions not overlapping adjacent timbers and consequently decay morerapidly. The object of my improved spacing nail is to hold such timbersat such a distance apart that air can freely circulate between theadjacent portions of timbers and thus allow such portions to dry outrapidly. I also prefer to form my improved nail so that it can be usedto connect two pieces of lumber having their ends or edges adjacent, asin the case of the stringers and rails of fences, and I also prefer toform said nail with sloping portions which will drain off the moisturedeposited between adjacent portions of the timbers held apart by saidspacing nail and thus prevent the collection and retention of moisturebetween the same.

In Fig. 4 I have shown my preferred form of spacing nail formed of sheetmaterial and struck up into the desired shape. The nail consists in thisinstance of a web A of a width equal to the distance desired between theadjacent pieces of lumber, the said web being provided with suitableentering points, or spurs a a a and lateral flanges a. which are turnedat right angles to the web A and engage the opposing faces of the piecesof lumher to be held apart.

InFig. 4 I have shown the web A bent at its central portion a so as toprovide two portions at amangle to each other,and adjacent to the bend aI provide the web at one side with an integral angular point a which ispreferably notched in step form as shown in Fig. 4, but it may be aplain tapering angular point as shown at a in Fig. 5. On the oppositeedge of the web A, I provide one or more pointsa. at each side of thebend a adjacent to which are the angular flanges a a and the side ofthe'web from which the point 0. projects is also provided with angularflanges a a By constructing the nail in this manner, the metal used maybe very light and thin so that the points a a a will readily enter thewood while the web A may be made of any desired width according to thespace desired between the parts to be united, and the angularly bentflanges a a will offer surfaces in contact with the lumber very muchbroader than the thickness of the metal. By bending the nail at a it canbe driven in as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and will provide slopingor inclined portions which will drain olf any water falling upon them.

In using a nail of this form for instance in fence construction, asshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the point a will be driven into the post Bwith the bend a uppermost and the adjacent ends of the stringers B Bwill then be placed in engagement with the points a a and tapped untilsaid points enter the stringers and the flanges a a engage them as shownin Figs. 2 and 3. This will hold the stringers away from the post so asto allow the air to circulate freely between them, and the nail alsoserves to unite the adjacent ends of the stringers and prevent them frompulling away from each other. If necessary ordinary nails or screws willalso be used to hold the stringers B B to the post B.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a slightly modified form of spacing nailembodying my invention. In these figures the flange A is shown asstraight but in Fig. 7 I have indicated by dotted lines positions intowhich it will advantageously be bent in order that it may providesloping portions to drain off the matter falling upon it. The flange Ais provided at each edge with a series of downwardly turned flanges aand points a a constructed as in the other figures. This form of nailmay be found especially advantageous in some cases, and is very cheaplymade.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a difierent manner of using my improved spacingnail from that shown in Fig. 1. In this figure I have shown each of theadjacent ends of the nails B spaced from the post B by two of my angularspacing nails A, as shown in dotted lines, and within the angle of eachspacing nail A an ordinary driving nail G is driven as indicated in fulllines.

In Fig. 9 I have shown another slightly modified form of spacing nailconstructed substantially like the nail shown in Figs. 6 and 7 exceptthat the flanges a. turned at an angle to the central web are omitted.In this figure A indicates the central web, provided at each side with aseries of entering points a a in the plane of and integral with saidweb.

In Fig. 10 I have shown an angular nail similar to those shown in Figs.4: and 5 with the exception that the plain points a a. show n in thosefigures are omitted and angular points are substituted therefor. In thisfigure A represents the web, which is bent in angular form and providedat the apex with an angular point a at the ends of the web, the metal isbent inwardly as shown at a a to form an angle with the web A and theangular parts are prolonged on the side opposite the point a to formangular pointsa a The advantage obtained by providing angular points isthat the points so formed are stiffer and stronger than plain points andwill therefore drive much more readily and without bending. In the formof nail shown in Fig. 10 the edges of the metal are turned down at eachside of the web A to form flanges 0t a It is obvious that in any form ofspacing nail constructed according to my invention, the web Acan be madeof any desired width according to the amount of space desired betweenthe adjacent faces of the pieces of lumber to be united. It is alsoobvious that instead of having the angular points bent at a sharp angle,they might be curved or rounded as well.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A spacing nail formed of sheet material comprising a spacing webadapted to be disposed perpendicularly to the opposing surfaces of thearticles to be spaced, said web having a series of penetrating pointsextending outwardly from opposite edges of said web, said edges beingeach provided adjacent to the bases of said points with flanges turnedat an angle to said web forengaging said articles, substantially asdescribed.

2. A spacing nail formed of sheet material comprising a spacing web bentto provide sloping portions, for draining moisture therefrom, said webhaving its edges provided with points extending oppositely in the planeof the said web, and flanges turned at an an- 'gle to said web,substantially as described.

3. A spacing nail composed of sheet material comprising a spacing web,disposed perpendicularly to the adjacent faces of the articles to bespaced, said web being bent angularly to provide sloping portions fordraining moisture, the edges of said web being provided with attachingpoints extending in opposite directions, in the plane of said web andwith flanges bent at an angle to said web for engaging the articles tobe spaced substantially as described.

41. A spacing nail composed of sheet material comprising a spacing web,having two opposite edges provided with attaching points, said pointsbeing angular in cross section, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. WHITE.

Witnesses:

R. KENNEDY, WM. R. SHRYOCK.

